Ark. House panel to vote on school choice bill

The House Education Committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal that would allow students to transfer to a school in a neighboring district for a variety of reasons.

MICHAEL STRATFORD, Associated Press

Arkansas House lawmakers are weighing a proposal to rewrite Arkansas' school choice law that was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge last year.

The House Education Committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal that would allow students to transfer to a school in a neighboring district for a variety of reasons. One of the rationales could be promoting greater racial integration in the receiving school.

The judge struck down the law, saying it relied too heavily on race to determine transfer eligibility. A proposal to allow students who have already transferred to other districts under the school choice law to remain in those districts failed to clear the state Senate on Monday.

Lawmakers are weighing two other competing proposals to rewrite the school choice statute.